Kosaka et al, discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,450 a plurality of catalysts arranged in a desirable order based on the temperature gradient existing in the reaction chamber. The operating temperature of the catalyst and the temperature of the portion of the reaction chamber it is in, are matched so as to avoid catalytic degradation and/or catalytic inactivity.
Hindin et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,086 discloses a catalytic composition particularly useful in the production of hydrogen from methanol, especially by steam reforming, which comprises a mixture of zinc oxide, copper oxide, thorium oxide and aluminum oxide whereby the activity and activity maintenance of the catalytic composition is superior relative to a composition otherwise substantially the same but lacking thoria.
Henkel et al in U.S. Pat. No. 3,086,877 discloses a fuel gas obtained in a reformed gas generator through the catalytic reaction of hydrocarbons and a gas containing oxygen and provided to an internal combustion engine has its heat content along with that of the exhaust gas of the engine used to convert methanol endothermically into a gas mixture containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen with the gas mixture so formed fed to one or both the reformed gas generator and, along with the fuel gas, the internal combustion engine.